☀️ ESPN Doubling Down on College Sports in $7+ Billion deal
PAR trims TV studio staff / Cord Jefferson sets AMAZON project / Minions dominate NETFLIX
Morning! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY Feb. 14, 2023.
Where I’m sorry to break the news to you L.A., but our fine East Coast hamlet of NYC is the worst city for young people to live in! At least according to a new ranking from RENTHOP, which puts NYC dead last on the best places for single young professionals to live in. Then again, their top three are in Minnesota… so it is what is.
Besides, you tell me where else I can get a draft beer for $13+ with tax and tip? 🤷♂️ Though don’t worry L.A., you’re still at #81 out of 100, and there’s always next year.
NOW: Which one of you sent me the chocolates ?! ❤️ Oh wait, this is for Richard — don’t worry Ted, I’ll make sure he gets them.
ALSO: The NBA will do an alt-cast for the NBA All-Star game this weekend on TruTV and MAX, hosted by Draymond Green, with Barkley, Jayson Tatum and others making appearances.
HUH: Well, it turns out the final NIELSEN number for the Super Bowl didn’t add much to the original estimate: your final tally is 123.7 Million.
OH: FOX’s Upfront will be Monday May 13 at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
PLUS: Forget $2 Billion, Jeff Bezos has now sold over $4 Billion of AMAZON stock in the past week (I told him not to take the NINERS with the points… and that Travis wouldn’t propose 🙄). However, he saved over $288 Million by doing so as a Florida resident instead of a Washington resident (WA has a 7% capital gains sales tax), which more than covers the $157 Million he spent buying two adjacent home properties on ‘billionaire bunker’ island in FL last year. Which definitely won’t be underwater one day.
THEN: In case you’re wondering how the commercial real estate market is doing, this is a good summation from Bloomberg:
AND: PLUTO has added 24-7 Murder She Wrote and Little House on the Prairie channels… and yet I still can’t watch Diff’rent Strokes anytime I want — come on 2024 TV business!
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL RESULTS
The February box office bears are kicking strongly here mid-month (glad I didn’t ask about Madame Web 😬).
IN THIS EDITION:
ESPN is in final stages of a $1+ Billion a year deal to keep the College Football Playoffs — a look at what it says about the health of the sports rights market, and other players in college sports. Err, except the actual players — they still get none of it directly.
Initial roundup of where PARAMOUNT made its staff cuts in the TV and movie business (mostly TV).
A look at just how much the Minions dominated NETFLIX global viewership last week.
Dive into SONY PICTURES’s Q4 numbers, some comps to SONY MUSIC and how SPE fits in SONY overall.
Lotta ratings updates, plus series & movie news at WB, NETFLIX, T-NETS, AMAZON, NBC and more.
WALMART making play for VIZIO to better compete in advertising, and more.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
